Biology
The Origin of Species, ,Charles Darwin
The Medical Detectives,, Berton Roueche
The Panda's Thumb,, Stephen Jay Gould
The Lives of a Cell,, Lewis Thomas
The Double Helix, ,James Watson

Chemistry
The Extraordinary Chemistry of Ordinary Things, ,Carl H. Snyder
The Architecture of Molecules: The Nature of the Chemical Bond,, Linus Pauling

Earth Sciences
Silent Spring, ,Rachel Carson
The Immense Journey, , Loren Eisley

Physics
E=mc^2,  David Bodanis
The Cartoon Guide to Physics,  Larry Gonick and Art Huffman
A Brief History of Time,  Stephen Hawking
How Things Work,  David Macaulay

The 10 Most Recommended Authors " The authors most frequently recommended by all the colleges are listed . . . These authors, playwrights and poets represent "the best of the best," so you should try to include some of their works in your personal reading list." Doug Estell, Michele Satchwell and Patricia S. Wright in Reading Lists for College Bound Students, 3rd Edition, 2000, p.21.

1. William Shakespeare
2. William Faulkner
3. Charles Dickens
4. Ernest Hemingway
5. Jane Austen
6. Homer
7. Mark Twain
8. Sophocles
9. Nathaniel Hawthorne
10. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Important Books for Literary Study

Bible - "A collection of the sacred literature of Judaism and Christianity. Much of our western writing alludes to the language and stories in the Bible. Many colleges suggest the King James version for literary study," (Estell, Satchwell & Wright, p.33).

Epics - These heroic stories of ancient adventures have become the models for many contemporary works of art and literature. Consider reading one of the following in prose or poetry: Gilgamesh, by Akkadian The Iliad, by Homer The Odyssey, by Homer The Aeneid, by Virgil

Mythology - Although any collection of Greek, Roman and Norse myths would be helpful, Edith Hamilton's Mythology is most often recommended for those who would like to understand more of the allusions in the language and literature of the Western world.

Vocabulary - Any book that provides a course of study that includes Greek and Latin roots as well as words grouped together by category or content area is helpful to the high school reader. Random House Webster's Build Your Power Vocabulary (1998) is one such book.